Cogeco: Modernizing Internal Communications and Increasing Employee Satisfaction During a Crisis
Cogeco is committed to providing innovative services and exceptional experiences for their customers.
With award-winning security, next-generation features, and top rated customer service, Cogeco understands that the customer experience depends on the quality of the employee experience. To help support and drive the company’s culture of innovation and community, Cogeco saw an opportunity to invest in a modern internal communications and knowledge platform.
About Cogeco
Cogeco is a Canadian telecommunications and media company based in Quebec. The company provides internet, TV, and phone services to residential and business customers in Ontario, Quebec, and eleven states along the east coast of the United States. Cogeco’s 4,500 employees work across various functions and locations, including technicians in the field, frontline associates in stores, and corporate workers in the office or at home.
The Challenge
Before LumApps, Cogeco relied primarily on email to communicate with all employees. There was no single space to share news and updates or for employees to exchange knowledge, interact or engage. Cogeco was looking for a social and collaborative intranet solution that was customizable, easy to use, and integrated seamlessly with Google Workspace, their productivity suite.
Cogeco found what they were looking for with LumApps and went live with their new intranet platform, called “Zoe,” in the Spring of 2019. They named the intranet Zoe because they wanted the platform to be approachable and sociable, just as a person would be.
Zoe has truly become a one stop shop for Cogeco employees
Personalization
Zoe connects Cogeco’s employees with a single communication platform across all locations, functions and devices. Given employees speak different languages within Cogeco – primarily French and English – the intranet is bilingual, meaning there is a one-click button on all pieces of content, news, and interactions that allows viewers to automatically switch the language from English to French and vice-versa. Additionally, the intranet is automatically set up to display personalized news and corporate updates and information in the employee’s preferred language.
Personalization is a key priority for Cogeco as they develop the intranet and distribute content. It is expressed through the bilingual nature of the platform, but also with its structure and content. When a user logs into Zoe, the homepage view and the content that surfaces is personalized based on a unique profile that considers their calendar, location, department and commonly used links and business applications. With this, employees have a simpler user experience, can more quickly find the tools they need to be productive and stay up-to-date with the latest information important for their work.
A place for our employees. Our intranet serves as a place for our employees to feel reassured and that the team is there for them
Communication and Collaboration
Through weekly newsletters, articles, and announcements, Zoe is a seamless way to distribute corporate communications across the organization. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic as safety guidelines and updates are changing almost every day, it is critical for employees to have the latest information and resources to ensure they are safe and equipped to continue their work. But information is not just top-down at Cogeco. There are dedicated spaces throughout the intranet for employees to ask questions and have a voice. They can communicate with their colleagues and receive answers from subject matter experts. Unlike a traditional, static intranet, Zoe is an interactive space with business and project management, diversity and inclusion communities, resource pages and engaging contests. The platform unites the entire organization and engages with different business functions.
Like most organizations during COVID-19, Cogeco needed to quickly pivot and update the way they were used to operating and communicating. With all the changes, the HR and communications team decided to check in with employees via a satisfaction survey. The results: ENPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) increased by a total of 38 points since the last survey in December, and 88% of employees were satisfied with how communications were managed during the pandemic. The intranet played an integral role in these results, as it empowered the team to communicate effectively across the entire organization and provide a space for employees to collaborate and connect regardless of where they were working.
The company is also planning on adding an employee recognition site and many other communities are in development. In all, Zoe provides employees a solid foundation for employees well into the future as Cogeco continues to build, expand and improve its offerings.